William zimmerman



UNITED STATES `PATENT ,OFFICE WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

SMUTflVIACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 916,897, dated'lVIarch 24,1857.

inclined, or horizontally; and I do herebyv .l declare that the same is described andrepreletters indicate like parts in each ofthe figures.

Flgure l, 1s an elevation of mysmut ma chine the left half showing the exterior and the right a section of the interior. which is separated from the exterior by the line e, e. Fig. 2, is -an elevation of the disk I and cylinders attached thereto. The other figures will be referred to in the specification.

The nature of my invention consists in a series ofstationary and revolving cylinders arranged on disks, from their center outward, roughened on both sides, so as to scour and clean the grain as it passes-between them successively.

In the accompanying drawings A, is the base or stand towhich the other `parts are connected or fastened; this stand consists of a circular rim provided with three legs which may be made in the fornrepresented in the drawing or. otherwise, each leg being provided with a score to which the ends of the arms of the triangular or three armed bridge-tree B, are fitted and supported by pins so that either or all the arms may be raised by placing wedges between them and the pins which support them.

`The bridge tree B, is provided with a hub for the step of theshaft C, which shaft is provided with a pulley D, to which a belt may be applied to operate the machine. The upper end of the shaft C, turns in the hub E, on the tap F, which tap rests upon the stationary part of the machine and isconnected and fastened to the stand A, by the bolts Gr, Gr, as represented in the drawing.

The cylindrical case I-I, rests on the stand A, and supports the stationary disk I which is fitted to rest upon it and is confined by the top F as shown in the drawing. The disk I is perforated as shown in Fig. 3, which is a plan of the under side representing the four concentric cylinders a, a, which are fastened to it andfluted both inside and out and Illotched at' their lowerends as represented in The cylinder J, is fastened to the top of the disk I and extendsup around the hub b, of thefan K, which is provided with four floats as represented in Fig. 4L, to draw the dust etc. from thei'grainl up `through the vholes or slots in the disk I and blow it out through the openings o, `@between the top F and the disk I. The hub Z9, is made hollow Vand flaring at the top, so as to receive the.

grain from` the hub @,on the under side of t-he top F, there beingv several openings through the top into the hub e, one ofwhich is represented at f Fig. 1. v The fanv K, is

fastened to the shaft C, land its hollow hub 'the cylinders revolve; soasto throw it over the` top of each'cylinder in succession and it descends between the outside cylinder it, and the case H, onto the inverted cone M and into the trough below it and as it fills up between the cone M, and `cylinder N, the weight of the grain presses it out .under the loweredge Vofthe cone-M, so that itfalls over the outer edge ofthe trough z', into the `trough j, and :passes :through the spouts laf out of the machine. TheconeM rests upon the `base Awand is connectedbyl project-ions Z, to the bottom of the trough vl so as to support said trough andithe cylinder Nfwhich is `open at thetop aslrepresented.

The projections m, on the lower edge of t-he cylinder N are fitted to a recess in the interior iiange p on the inside of the Vtrough j, and pins like the one represented at r, are put through the projections and the inside of the trough j, so as to fasten them together and hold them in their proper places. The outside of the circular trough j, extends up nearly to the under side of the base A, as represented, and is made to raise and lower to suit the blast. The fan O, Fig.

5, is fastened to the shaft C, and drives a blast of air through between the projections m, and across the top of the trough y', so as to separate the dust from the grain and carry it out of the machine between the top of the trough j, and the base A. This fan draws the dust through the holes or slots, in the disk L above it.

The inclined spout S is fastened to the top F so as to conduct the grain into the opening f, so that it descends through the hubs-e, and Z9, passing out of the latter through the opening g, into the cylinder J through which it descends around the shaft C, to the disk L; and as the holes `in the disks I, and L, are too small to allow the grain to pass through; the pressure of the grain above, and in the cylinder J, aided by the motion of the disk L and Vcylinders h, L, and the centrifugal force derived from such motion causes the grain to rise and descend alternately while the fluted cylinders a and h, scour it, until it escapes belowthe outer cylinder H, onto the cone M and trough c', and as it accumulates between M and N the ar or tremor of the machine will cause it to rise outside and under the cone M and fall through the blast from the fan O into the trough j, and pass out of the machine through the spouts 7c. The blast from the fan O separates the dust and refuse matter which has been scoured from the grain, and carries it through the opening between the top of the trough j, and the underside of'the base A, out of the machine.

I have represented a smaller space between the outside of the stationary cylinders and the inside of the rotating cylinders where the grain rises in the process of scouring than between the outside of the revolving cylinders and the inside of the stationary ones whe-re the grain descends; but these spaces may be varied to suit the size of the grain to be cleaned, and the amount of scouring required to clean it; but they should not be reduced so as to crush the grain or break it during the process, and the inside of the stationary cylinders may be made slightly conical if preferred.

I think my machines may be made cheapest of cast iron, but they may be made of cast or wrought metal, or part of each, and if the cylinders a, a, and h, it, are made of may be enumerated as follows: The upper fan separates the dust from the grain as it enters the machine and while it is operated upon or during the process of scouring; and the lower fan separates the dust during the process and after it is scoured also. This machine will answer to run in an upright inclined or horizontal position as may be most desirable, if there is sufficient depth or height of grain in the supply spout S which supply spout should be made more perpendicular as the machine is inclined. I believe however that the grain will pass through this machine without any aid, from the pressure of the grain in the supply spout; whether the machine is operated in a perpendicular, inclined or horizontal position.

I believe I have described the construction operation and use of my invention, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use it; I will now specify what I desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I wish it distinctly understood that I do not claim such devices as are represented and described in the patent granted to I-Iowlett and IValker, May 9th, 1846. But

I claim- A series of stationary and revolving cylinders arranged on disks or their equivalents, froni the center outward substantially as described for the purposes set forth.

I wish it distinctly understood that I disclaim the devices covered by the patent granted to R. M. Dempsey December 18th 1849 as I make no claim to such devices.

IVILLIAM ZIMMERMAN.

C. M. VooDs, 

